Enrollment rises
By Kathryn Andreoni
IV Leader Staff, Sept. 11, 2003
IVCC is packing ‘em in. Students, that is.
Enrollment this fall is at 4,105, up six percent from last fall, and the total number of credit hours students are taking is at 37,707, up ten percent compared to last fall.
Tracy Morris, director of admissions and records, said that the economy explains some of the increase.
“With all the plant closures, we’re seeing a jump in the number of older students returning to school,” she said. “Traditional age students are realizing how fiscally responsible it is to get their gen(eral) ed(ucation) requirements out of the way at IV.”
Somewhere between 55 percent and 60 percent of IVCC students continue at a four-year college after completing their associate degrees, but Morris sees that number climbing.
“I believe the numbers will increase as more and more people become aware that IV students that transfer on to four-year colleges perform better than the traditional juniors do.”
Morris credits the counselors for “making sure that everyone’s credits from here will transfer to wherever they are going.”
The hottest program right now, Morris said, is nursing, and that is also related to the economy.
“People can look in the paper every night and see many ads looking for RNs,” she said. “It’s a rewarding field that’s always well paying with a great job placement rate.”
Other growing programs include forensic science, graphic design, truck driver training and criminal justice. Morris said the new forensic science courses offered this fall are full.
Will enrollment continue to climb?
“I really can’t see an end in sight,” Morris said. “Hopefully, with better marketing, these numbers will continue to increase, even after the economy picks up.”